Analysis of Glass Fracture Pattern on Soda Lime and Tempered Glass Caused by Shotgun Bullet Impact
- Author:
Dahshaini Nadarajan
1
;
Sharifah Mastura Syed Mohd Daud
1
;
Nadiah Syariani Md Shariff
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Physical evidence, Fracture pattern, Shotgun, Soda-lime silica, Tempered glass
- From:Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2020;16(Supp 1,January):131-135
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
- Abstract: Introduction: Broken glass exhibits unique fracture patterns depend upon the nature of the impact. The fracture patterns provide information like point and angle of impact, direction of force and sequence of firing. Recent studies have shown that the use of shotgun in Malaysia is increasing, yet, the relationship existing among the fracture pattern and the projectile impact factors are not well documented. The objective was to analyse the fracture characteristics on different glass types of variable thickness and distance made by shotgun ammunition. Methods: Soda lime and tempered glass panel with dimension of 12’x 12’ with 3 or 4 mm thickness were shot from various distances of 4, 6 and 8 m from the muzzle end of the shotgun. Samples were analysed under fixed parameters and observations were recorded. Results: It is found that the bullet hole diameter of 4 mm tempered glass were larger compared to 4 mm soda lime glass ranged from 14.33 to 24.17 cm as distance increased. Tempered glass surface also exhibited dicing fragments unlike soda lime glass where only radial fracture patterns are evident. This can be attributed to high inherent strength and ductility that makes the tempered glass remarkably resistant to external force. Conclusion: The findings from this study can lead to distinguish the type of glass through examination of fracture patterns, whether it is soda lime silica or tempered glass. The type of glass and the source of impact can be determined using the fragments, no reconstruction necessary.
- Full text:11.2020my0640.pdf
